Load-bearing structures, such as airframe components and structural assemblies, must be properly manufactured and maintained in order to prevent structural defects such as cracking, corrosion, delamination, and the like. Accordingly, damage inspection on such structures is important in order to detect and repair flaws, thus preventing the occurrence of these negative consequences.
Some structures, such as panels that define an enclosed space, are particularly difficult to inspect for structural defects. For example, sandwich panels that define an enclosed space are often difficult to inspect because most conventional inspection techniques are configured to examine and detect the external skin and are thus unable to adequately inspect the core and internal skin of the sandwich panel. Further, access to an enclosed space defined by a sandwich panel is often limited, thus making it difficult to properly position inspection devices adjacent interior surfaces within an enclosed space.